Customs probes fire incident at warehouse, delivers 90% consignment to IDPs

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is to carry out a thorough investigation to ascertain the remote and immediate causes of the fire incident, which destroyed its warehouse in Ikeja, Lagos State.

Releasing an interim report of the fire out break yesterday, NCS explained that the incident, which occurred on Friday, led to
“massive destruction of seized goods at the Government Warehouse and a wing of the Customs Training College classroom Ikeja.”

NCS also explained that items/materials designated for Internally Displayed Persons (IDPs) camps in Borno State, “which were kept in a different wing of the warehouse in line with the Presidential directive were not affected.”

Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Customs Federal Operations (FOU), Uche Ejesieme, who released the interim report yesterday, disclosed that “the unit had delivered almost 90 percent of the items and delivery is still ongoing.”

Explaining further, Ejesieme said: “On Friday, April 22, 2016 at about 2200 hours, a major fire out break which led to massive destruction of seized goods at the Government Warehouse and a wing of the Customs Training College classroom Ikeja occurred.”

According to the PRO, the fire “which raged voraciously and uncontrollably spread to Annexes A and B and inner chamber of the Government Warehouse, housing most of the seized items which included but not limited to jumbo bales of second hand clothings, used female shoes/bags, used tyres, vegetable oils and other general merchandise.’’

“It is instructive to note that the attention of the Lagos State Fire Service and Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) was drawn few minutes into the incidence.

“They responded swiftly and made spirited effort to control the inferno by bringing in excavators, fire vehicles and other equipment.